By Your Side
by Music's Insane Lover
Summary: AU! Tony is a nerd who is bullied for his sexual preferences. Loki is the new kid who changes his life. Follow them on a journey of friendship, pain, love, and memorable times. SLASH! Warnings are inside!
1. Start of Something Good

A/N 1: Alriiiiiiiight! Another story, another journey! xD I am changing my style though. I am going to plan out each chapter so I can at least write this a lot better than my other stories. xD So, each chapter is going to be named after a song, a song that relates to the chapter so you at least have a _tiny _bit of insight. :3

This story starts off in the middle of Tony's Junior year of high school and ends at the graduation ceremony! :3

**Warnings: **Bullying, swearing, OOC-ness!, homophobic slurs every now and then, most teachers are OC's, and... sexual content later... :3 Mhm. ;D

**Chapter 1:**

**Start of Something Good**

The loud ringing of an alarm clock woke up a very tired and disgruntled Tony Stark. He looked at the time on his clock, even though he knew what time it was, and groaned, slamming his hand down on the clock, successfully turning off the annoying ringing, and closed his eyes, burying his face in his pillow.

_I don't want to get up. Not up for another day of hell._

Tony took a few moments to reason with himself, reminding himself that he needs to go to school for his benefit and to not let anyone bring him down.

He sighed as he forced himself to get out of bed and made his way to the bathroom. He took care of his business, washing his hands afterwards, and splashed cold water on his face. He looked at the reflection in the mirror; brown eyes were staring back at him, showing his true emotions. He shook his head and grimaced when he saw his raven colored hair sticking up and going in different directions.

"I'm in desperate need of a shower," he told his reflection.

He turned on the shower and stripped out of his clothes and into the tub. He sighed as the hot water ran down his body. He quickly washed his hair and body and hopped out of the shower and wrapped a towel around his waist. He hurried into his room and picked out the outfit he wanted to wear for the day.

He picked out a dark blue button down shirt, a black tie, and black Dolce and Gabbana pants and dress shoes. He dried his hair before putting his clothes on and put a bit of gel in his hair and brushed it.

Tony always had to look presentable, even if he was going to school.

He looked at himself in the mirror and straightened his tie and smoothed down his shirt. _Looking good, Tony. Looking good. _After giving himself one more look, he went downstairs and poured himself some cereal.

As he ate his cereal, he walked toward the open door of the basement and rolled his eyes when he heard his father working. _Does he ever take a break?_

"Probably not," he answered his own question aloud. He threw one last glance down the stairs of the basement and sighed before finishing his cereal.

He put the bowl in the sink and ran up the stairs, grabbing his backpack and headed into the bathroom to brush his teeth. After he brushed his teeth, he slung his backpack over his shoulders, and ran down the stairs to the basement door.

"Dad!" Tony shouted down to his father. No response. "I'm leaving for school, dad!" Not a single word. "Well, seeya tonight, dad!" he said, pretending his father had said something to him. "Love you, too," he muttered dejectedly and left for school.

* * *

"Hiya, Tony!" Bruce Banner, his best friend of 10 years, shouted as he walked over to his locker.

"Brucey!" he shouted back, putting a smile on his face.

Bruce, in a way, was just like him. He was smart, _very _smart. But, he was more into Chemistry and Physics and Tony was more into Math and building, just like his father. Bruce was also a kind and sweet boy, but he had the most dangerous temper. Tony remembered the first time he witnessed one of Bruce's episodes...

They were just 10-years-old, they were playing hide 'n seek freeze tag and Tony always liked to bend the rules. So, when Bruce got Tony on the shoulder right before Tony got to the base and Tony declared that Bruce didn't get him before he got to the base. Bruce blew up, screaming at Tony saying, "You always do that! I got you fair and square!" The next thing Tony knew, Bruce was throwing things, causing the backyard to look like a tornado had passed through.

Tony didn't mess with Bruce after that.

Tony opened his locker and pulled out his Algebra book and English workbook and put his US History and Physics homework into his locker; he'd get them after lunch.

He closed his locker and looked at Bruce and gave him a smile. "Come on, off to Algebra," he said, but before he could turn around, he was pushed aside.

"Move, fag," a tall, blond boy with blue eyes said, smirking at Tony, and walked away.

Tony rolled his eyes and muttered to Bruce, "Steve is such an ass."

Bruce nodded with a chuckle. "We've established that, Tony."

Tony sighed and walked to class with Bruce following him.

"Well, he could've gone around us instead of pushing us aside," Tony said once they were outside of the classroom.

Bruce sighed, shaking his head and walked into the classroom and Tony followed. "Don't you get it? He's doing it so he can get you all riled up. He wants to see you react," Bruce said, setting his stuff on his desk and sat down.

"I guess it's working," Tony mumbled, setting his stuff down and sat down in his desk next to Bruce. Tony sighed and put his head down on his arms, jumping slightly when the bell rang.

Five minutes later, the late bell rang, and the class was filled with students.

"Alright class, take out your notes and a writing utensil while I take roll," their teacher, Mr. Davis, said as he walked in the classroom.

Bruce and Tony took out their notebooks and pencils and sat there, waiting.

Tony flinched when something hit the back of his head. He looked down and saw it was a paper ball and he knew who threw it: Steve. He curled his hands into tight balls when another paper ball hit his head. Oh... he was so close to snapping at the jock.

Steve was a wrestler, so he was pretty bulky. Tony would always tell Bruce that Steve had an intellectual capacity of a caveman, because, quite simply, all the two geniuses heard from the brute was nonsense.

Tony was about to snap at Steve after the wrestler threw another paper ball at him, but the door opened, revealing a sight that blew Tony's breath away.

A boy, about six-foot with slicked back raven colored hair and bright blue-green eyes, was standing in the doorway. The boy was wearing a black leather jacket with a white shirt underneath, black leather pants, and black boots. He even had a diamond earring in his right ear.

As Tony stared at the boy, there was only one word that came to mind: beautiful.

"Fag," Steve said, covering up the slur with a cough.

The boy's head snapped toward Steve and his blue-green eyes narrowed at the jock. The boy's eyes then locked onto Tony's, whose breath hitched in his throat, seeing the intense blue-green eyes staring back at him.

"Ah." The boy's eyes then landed onto the teacher and just stared. "You must be the new student, Loki Laufeyson." The boy nodded slowly.

_Huh.. Loki.. What an unusual name.. _Tony glared when he heard snickers behind him. _Why can't people be mature? _

"Well, you can sit down in the front here, right next to Tony," Mr. Davis told Loki.

Tony chanced a glance at Loki and saw him staring at him as he sat down next to him.

"Hi," Loki said after staring at Tony for a few minutes. "I'm Loki."

Tony almost visibly shivered at the sound of Loki's voice. Loki had a British accent and his voice was deep, husky, and soft altogether. He turned his head and stared into Loki's eyes before smiling. "Tony."

Loki returned the smile which almost made Tony melt and turn into a puddle of goo. _Oh, God... _

Tony turned his attention to the teacher, trying so hard not to get distracted by the oh-so-attractive male that was sitting next to him.

* * *

The bell rang, indicating that it was the end of the first period and Tony hurriedly put his stuff in his backpack and walked out of the room and waited for Bruce. Once Bruce was out of the classroom, they started walking but stopped when they heard someone shout Tony's name:

"Tony! Wait!"

Tony and Bruce turned around and both of their brown eyes widened when they saw it was Loki.

"Hey," Loki said once he reached the two friends. "I was wondering what your next class was."

Tony was shocked. This... gorgeous... creature was talking to him. Actually talking to him. "Um, English 3 with Hilton."

Loki's face lit up, a smile immediately invading his face. "Ha! I do, too!"

Tony smiled brightly. "Alright, follow us, newbie," he said, chuckling when he saw the expression change from a smile to a frown._  
_

"I am not a newbie," Loki said, crossing his arms over his chest.

Tony chuckled. "You are today."

"Fine," Loki said with a pout.

The three males then walked to their next class.

"Hey, let me see your schedule," Tony demanded once they got into the classroom.

Loki obliged and handed him his schedule.

Tony looked over the piece of paper, and a wide smile appeared on his face and looked up at the taller male. "You are in the same classes as me except one and you have lunch with Bruce and I."

Loki's face lit up. "Thank, God. I thought I wasn't going to make any friends today, but I met you two," he said, smiling.

Tony smiled softly before smirking at Loki. "Yeah, well, don't think you can easily become our friend. We have an initiation you have to go through. The first thing you will need to do is eat a sandwich with ketchup, sardines, and bananas. And, after you get through that, you need to go running around your neighborhood nude during the day.. Hmm.. what else, Bruce?"

"Well, the last step is you gotta go to Natasha's house and steal her undies and then you can be our friend," Bruce added, trying to hide his smile behind his hand when he saw the shocked and scared look on Loki's face.

Tony and Bruce busted out laughing and all they did was laugh for several seconds before they calmed down, wiping the tears from their eyes.

"We're... only joking.. Loki," Tony said between breaths.

Loki glared at them and huffed out a breath. "Hardy har har."

"Sorry, Loki," Bruce said.

Loki narrowed his eyes before smirking at them. "That was pretty funny though," he said. "Well, where are you two sitting?" He followed them all the way to the back and once Tony and Bruce sat down, he sat next to Tony. "You guys sit all the way back here?" They nodded. "Why?"

Tony looked at Bruce and then back at Loki. "It's more... comfortable here.." Tony lied.

Loki raised an eyebrow. "I don't believe you.."

Bruce sighed. "Well, to be honest, it's safer here. We are targets."

"Targets?" Loki asked, furrowing his eyebrows with confusion.

"We get things thrown at us," Tony added.

Loki's eyes widened. "What?! Why?! You two are like the coolest and nicest people I've ever met."

The two geniuses blushed at the compliments and simultaneously mumbled, "Thank you."

The rest of the class rushed in at that time right before the bell rang.

"Good morning, class. Today, we are reading _The Fall of the House of_ _Usher. _Please go get the books off the shelves," their English teacher, Mrs. Hilton, said. "We also have a new student, Loki Laufeyson."

Loki waved at the class awkwardly before he got a book.

Once they all got their books and sat down at their desks, she said, "Okay, open up to page..."

Tony didn't pay attention the rest of class, his mind wandering to the male that was sitting next to him. _Why did he care about the fact that we get things thrown at us? Why is he even talking to us?_

* * *

After English, Tony, Loki, and Bruce went their separate ways. Tony had Woodshop, his favorite class; he loved to build things. Loki had French class and Bruce had Chemistry.

55 minutes later, it was lunch time for the three of them.

"So, how was French?" Bruce asked, digging into his lunch bag for his sandwich.

Loki nodded as he chewed on a piece of pizza he got from the cafeteria. "It was okay."

"That's good," Tony said, smiling, before he bit a piece of his cheeseburger.

"Tony! Bruce!"

Tony and Bruce jumped at the raised voice calling their names and they turned to find Pepper Potts making her way to the table.

Pepper had strawberry blonde hair and light blue eyes. She had been Tony's friend for years and became Bruce's friend after she met him through Tony. Pepper was popular, but she wasn't stuck up or snooty.

"Hey, Pepper," Tony said.

"Hi," she said, smiling. "Hiya, Bruce." Bruce waved and went back to eating his lunch. Pepper's eyes then landed on Loki's and frowned. "Who's this?"

"This is Loki," Tony said. "Loki, this is another one of my friends, Pepper."

"Hi. Nice to meet you," he said softly.

Pepper smiled and nodded. "Yeah, nice to meet you, too," she said as she sat down next to Bruce.

The four of them continued eating in silence until Loki spoke up:

"Who is that girl looking at me?"

The other three looked up and looked toward where Loki was looking at and groaned.

"That's Natasha," Bruce said, rolling his eyes.

Natasha had dark red hair and light blue eyes. She was, as most would say, a huge flirt. Even though she was dating Steve, she flirted with any guy who so much as glanced at her. There was no doubt that she had sex multiple times, and not just with Steve.

"She practically flirts with anyone who looks at her. It's disgusting," Pepper said, grimacing.

"Well, she should pick another guy because I don't roll that way," Loki said, taking a bite out of his pizza and stopped chewing when he saw Pepper, Tony, and Bruce looking at him. "What?" he said, mouthful of the pizza. He swallowed the pizza and rolled his eyes. "I'm gay, okay? Got a problem with that?" They shook their heads. "Good."

* * *

After lunch, all four of them had Physics together and they all sat together. The teacher they had was Mrs. Newland, a wacky teacher who loved Angry Birds. After that, Tony, Bruce, and Loki had US History. Their teacher for that class was Mr. Dillman. He was bald, and was a bit weird, but he was a good teacher.

The last class, Tony and Loki had gym together, which was taught by Clint Barton, which Tony always trusted with his life. Clint had sandy blond hair and blue eyes. He would always talk to him about personal things and Clint would tell him personal things back.

"He told me awhile back that he's dating the Criminal Justice teacher, Mr. Coulson," Tony told Loki as they stood off to the sidelines, watching the others shoot hoops.

"Really?" Loki asked incredulously.

"Mhm," Tony hummed. "Told him I wouldn't tell anyone. I guess I broke that promise." Tony turned toward Loki and gave him a pleading look. "You won't tell anyone, will you?"

"Nope. I promise," Loki said.

"Phew. Good," he said. "Oh, and he's also the wrestling coach."

"Hmm.." Loki smirked.

Tony chuckled when he saw the smirk on his newfound friend's face. "What are you smirking about?"

"Oh... nothing..."

Clint blew his whistle and told the class to go get cleaned up, so everyone ran into the locker rooms and did as they were told, except for Loki and Tony since they didn't really do anything.

"Oh, the fag's too afraid to go in the shower because he might end up with boner," a low and hoarse voice said behind Tony and Loki.

Tony looked up and sighed when he saw it was Thor. "Leave me alone, Thor. I didn't do anything to you."

Thor had shoulder length blond hair and bright blue eyes. He was heavily muscled and really tall. He was also best friends with Steve.

"Why should I, Stark?"

_Oh, my God. _"Because I didn't do shit to you, Odinson!" Tony snapped.

"Oooooh! The fag's got an attitude," Thor said, laughing at the shorter male.

"Leave him alone, asshole."

Thor's attention snapped to the person who actually dared to stand up for Tony; Loki.

"Oho.. The fag has got backup. What a chicken shit," Thor said, laughing loudly.

Loki lunged at Thor, punching him square in the face causing Thor's nose to bleed. "I don't like the way you are talking to him. He didn't fucking do shit to you, so just leave it. You are a fucking joke, picking on someone who is totally smaller than you and for no damn reason," Loki said, getting up in Thor's face. "Go pick on someone your own size and has the same mentality as you," Loki said, but before he or Thor could turn around he added, "Oh, and I think the zoo is looking for you. They're missing a gorilla."

Everyone that had crowded around Loki and Thor busted out laughing.

Thor, clutching his nose with one hand, lifted his other one and pointed it at Loki. "Until next time..." he said before walking away.

"Oooh, I'm so scared," Loki said, pretending to shake with fear causing Tony to laugh. "What a joke," he said, sitting down and putting on his boots.

"Thanks," Tony said after a few moments.

Loki looked at Tony and smiled. "No problem."

"'I think the zoo is looking for you. They're missing a gorilla.'" Tony quoted Loki, laughing. "That was priceless."

The duo laughed for awhile before they walked out of the locker room and to Tony's locker and saw Bruce standing near it.

"Oh, my God. You missed it, Banner," Tony said, opening his locker. "Loki called Thor a gorilla."

"What?" Bruce said incredulously and busted out laughing. "Damn! Why didn't you record it?!"

"Too busy laughing," Tony said with a snicker and closed his locker door. "Am I still staying over at your house tonight?"

"Mhm," Bruce said. "Hey.." Bruce looked at Loki, smiling mischievously. "How about we take Loki here on an adventure..."

Tony joined in with Bruce, also smiling mischievously. "Yeah.." Tony smirked. "Tomorrow, you, me, Bruce, downtown. Got it?"

"Um, sure, but I don't know where that is..."

"Guess we'll have to take you," Tony said. "Do you have a phone?" Loki nodded. "Give it." Loki obliged and Tony put his number and Bruce's into Loki's phone and sent a text to their phone. "Okay, all set," he said, handing Loki's phone back. "Seeya tomorrow."

* * *

Later that night, Bruce and Tony were in Bruce's room, eating pizza and watching TV.

"So, what do you think of Loki?" Bruce asked curiously

Tony nodded. "He's legit. He stood up for me, he has a good sense of humor, and he's gay, that's a plus for me."

Bruce rolled his eyes. "Of course that's a plus for you. You're gay, too."

"No duh, Sherlock," Tony said sarcastically.

"I've always wondered why you've never made a move on me," Bruce wondered aloud.

"Not my type, Banner," Tony said casually.

Bruce scoffed. "Thanks."

Tony hummed. "What about you? What do you think of him?"

"Like you said, he's definitely legit. I just don't get why he's talking to us," Bruce said thoughtfully.

Tony rolled his eyes. "Don't question it, Brucey. Just go with it."

"I think he's going to have a lot of fun tomorrow," Bruce said, smiling.

"Hell yeah!" Tony said. "Oh, gotta text him to bring money with him." Tony did just that and got a text back saying, _'Okay. Can't wait til tomorrow!' _"He's psyched for tomorrow," he said to Bruce.

Bruce nodded. "We all are," he said. "Did you even tell your dad you were sleeping over?"

"He wouldn't have cared, so I didn't bother," Tony said dejectedly.

Bruce sighed. "You should try and talk to-,"

"I've tried! Many times, Brucey!" Tony snapped.

"Sorry," Bruce mumbled and laid down on his bed.

Tony sighed and scooted over to the bed and grabbed Bruce's hand. "No, I'm sorry, but it's true. Don't you remember me telling you that I tried telling him I was gay, but all I got back as a response was the sound of the wood being sanded down."

"Maybe you can come live with me," Bruce said childishly.

Tony scoffed and shoved Bruce playfully, laughing as he also laid down on the sleeping bad on the floor. "Night, Bruce."

"Night, Tony," Bruce said softly and turned off the light on his nightstand and they both went to sleep.

* * *

A/N 2: So... how'd I do? :D I can endure criticism, but please be nice about it. :D Hope you liked it and review, letting me know how I did! Oh, and if there are any mistakes, lemme know, please! :) Thanks!


	2. Marchin' On

A/N 1: I... am speechless... I honestly don't know what to say except thanks. I've never gotten a response with my other stories like this one. :) Okay, so sorry for the long wait! There's absolutely no excuse for it except for the fact that I had to study my butt off for midterms, I then decided that once break started, I would take about a week of just relaxing and do whatever I wanted... that turned into the whole entire break, but I planned on updating the last week of the break, BUT, I got bronchitis, and I had it until about the second week of January, AND THEN! I ended up getting a severe chronic migraine just three weeks ago and I also had eye surgery this month, so yeah... I've been busy for the past two months. Gaaaah! I know, no excuses! Sorry! D:

**Warnings: **Bullying, swearing, OOC-ness!, homophobic slurs every now and then, most teachers are OC's, and... sexual content later... :3 Mhm. ;D

**Chapter 2:**

**Marchin' On**

It was in the middle of the night as Loki laid awake, staring at the cracked ceiling of his bedroom. He'd had a hard time sleeping ever since he moved into the apartment complex he was now currently living in.

He sighed as he turned on to his right side and stared at his dresser. Tears welled up in his eyes as he remembered why he was living in a grungy, old apartment complex alone.

He had just came out to his parents just two weeks ago, and the result of that didn't end well; his father started screaming at him and his mother was sobbing hysterically. His father had kicked him out without even letting him get his clothes or giving him some money after backhanding him. He wandered aimlessly around town for two days until a man had stopped him when he saw the state of the him and Loki told him the whole story. The man had offered him a room in his apartment complex for free. He also bought clothes for Loki and brought him food to store in his refrigerator. He didn't like that the man was using his own money to get him things, but the man just waved it off and said, "Once you're back on your feet, I'm going to help you get a job, but for now, you'll just have to endure this." Loki just groaned and huffed.

Loki had cried the first night he moved into the apartment because he had lost something valuable to him, but gained something in return. He also gained some friends who were quite unique.

Loki smiled lightly, wiping away the tears with his pillow. He had gained two friends and he knew they would grow to be close to each other. They already seemed to have built some sort of friendship from the start.

* * *

Loki woke to the sound of his cellphone beeping; it was a text from Tony, saying that him and Bruce were up and that he should start getting ready. He looked around the room groggily, trying to remember when he fell asleep. He looked at his clock on the nightstand; 11:09am. He let out a huff and hefted himself out of his bed and went to the bathroom and washed his hands after he did so.

He walked back into his bedroom and picked out clothes to wear that day. A black t-shirt, jeans, and his boots and black leather jacket. He trudged to the bathroom and stripped out of his clothes and turned on the water and hopped in the shower.

After getting out of the shower and drying himself, he put the clothes on and went to the kitchen to eat a bowl of cereal and sat down on the couch and turned on the TV. He ate his cereal as he distractedly watched the television, not caring about what was actually on at that moment. His mind was rather on what was going to happen that day, already jumping ahead without knowing what they were going to do.

Loki started when he felt his cellphone vibrate in his pocket. He put down the cereal on the coffee table and took his phone out and saw that it was Tony who texted him.

_We're on our way to downtown. Call me when you're there._

Loki suddenly felt a thrill of excitement run through his body as he read the text. He jumped up off the couch, leaving the unfinished bowl of cereal on the table and grabbed his keys off the kitchen table and made his way to the door. He opened it and he had to put his hand over his mouth to stop himself from screaming.

The man that had helped him find a place to stay was standing in front of him, just getting ready to knock on the door before it opened.

Loki sighed in relief and dropped his hand from his mouth. "You scared me there, Mr. Odinson."

Mr. Odinson chuckled hoarsely. "I was just checking up on you, Loki."

"Oh," Loki said, stunned. He honestly didn't expect a man that barely knew him would personally see how he was. "Well, I was just heading out. A couple of my new friends invited me to go walk around downtown with them."

Mr. Odinson smiled widely. "I'm glad you made new friends. Hopefully my son was one of them."

Loki furrowed his brows in confusion. Son? This man who looked to be in his 60's had a son that went to his school? No, that can't be... "I'm.. not too sure. What's your son's name?" he asked carefully.

Mr. Odinson chuckled. "He can't be missed. His name is Thor," he said proudly.

Loki's eyes widened and he just stared at the man. Thor.. _Odinson. _

_"Because I didn't do shit to you, Odinson!" _

Loki's mind kept repeating Tony saying that sentence over and over again. How could he have missed _that_?

"ki.. Loki!" Mr. Odinson shouted, snapping his fingers in front of the Loki's face.

Loki blinked and shook his head. "Sorry, but I really have to go," he said as he closed the apartment door and locked it. He walked past the older man and ran down the steps, shouting over his shoulder, "See you later, Mr. Odinson."

He breathed a sigh of relief once he stepped outside. "That was nuts," he mumbled as he ran his fingers through his hair. _I definitely have to tell Tony about this. _

* * *

Loki had taken the bus to the downtown area and within 30 minutes, he was standing on a corner, looking like a lost puppy. He was overwhelmed by how many people were there. He was about to start walking, but his mind made him think twice and stay right where he was and call Tony. He took out his phone and dialed Tony's number.

Afterthree rings, Tony answered the call with a, _"Hey, my main man, Loki. How ya doin'?"_

Loki rolled his eyes and chuckled lightly when he heard Bruce shout through the phone, _"Hey! I thought I was your main man." _"Hi, Tony.. Um.. I'm a bit scared to start walking around. Have you seen how many people are here?"

Tony mock gasped through the phone. _"Oh, is poor Loki scared of the big, bad crowd, huh?"_

Loki scoffed. "No. I just... don't want to get lost..." he mumbled insecurely.

_"Awww," _Tony cooed before chuckling lightly. _"Tell us where you are and we will come and get you."_

Loki looked up from where he was standing and saw the street name and repeated it into the receiver.

_"Stay right there," _Tony said before hanging up.

Loki sighed as he put his phone away and started when he heard his name being shouted. He looked around, trying to find the person who was shouting his name and his blue-green eyes landed on Tony just right across the street from him.

"Come on!" Tony shouted, waving Loki over to him.

Loki smiled and crossed the street carefully until he was standing in front of the shorter male. He was shocked when Tony grabbed his hand and dragged him into McDonald's.

"Um..?" Loki asked, unsure, when they stepped inside of the fast food restaurant.

"Bruce and I don't like walking around here on an empty stomach," Tony explained before walking over to the table Bruce was at.

Loki followed, a look of confusion on his face. "Hey, Bruce," he said distractedly. "But, aren't there food stands scattered around here? I saw about five or six from where I was just standing."

"We like to eat a full meal instead of street food. We get hungry pretty easily," Bruce said.

Loki raised an eyebrow, still not understanding the reason why they won't just eat food from the food stands, but he just excused it.

"So, did you bring money?" Tony asked as he dipped a fry into the ketchup and threw it into his mouth.

"Oh, shit," Loki said, eyes widening. He searched all of his pockets, even the ones in his jacket and when he didn't find his wallet, he groaned and plopped down on the seat next to Tony. "Fuck."

"So.. I'm guessing you didn't bring any money..." Tony said.

Loki turned his head to glare at the male that was munching on a french fry. "Ya think," he snapped.

Tony put his hands up in surrender. "Hey, I didn't do anything. You were the one who forgot your money."

Loki huffed and turned his attention to his hands and fiddled with his fingers. He suddenly had the urge to just walk out of the restaurant and go home. He felt like an idiot for forgetting something so simple.

"Hey," Bruce said softly, attracting Loki's attention. "I've got some extra money and I doubt I will buy anything because Tony and I are here practically every weekend. You can use my money, you just have to pay me back."

Loki smiled a wide smile, a smile that made Tony's breath catch in his throat. "Alright! Thanks, man."

"Yeah, yeah. Just don't forget to pay me back," Bruce said, smiling.

"I won't," Loki promised.

"Aren't you gonna buy something to eat then?" Tony asked with a mouthful of cheeseburger.

"Nah. I'm not really hungry," Loki said, grimacing as he felt queasy just thinking about eating a burger from the fast food place. He had never liked McDonald's, it always made him queasy if he thought about it. He had tried their cheeseburgers when he was seven, and he ended up doubled over the toilet as his stomach let out all of its contents.

Tony shrugged. "Suit yourself."

10 minutes later, they started their journey through downtown. As they walked around, Loki, not used to being in a huge crowd, kept getting lost, but somehow, Tony and Bruce found him.

"Okay, you know what, we're holding hands with you. This is getting to be very annoying," Tony said, grabbing Loki's hand harshly, making the taller male wince. "Bruce, grab his other hand."

"Oh, come on. Give him a break. You can clearly tell he isn't used to this kind of thing," Bruce told his best friend.

"Well, if I had known he was so scared of crowds, I would have just stayed at fucking McDonalds!" Tony spat harshly and walked away.

Bruce sighed and turned his attention to Loki who was looking down at his feet while he rubbed the back of his neck. "Hey, don't get upset-"

"I'm not afraid of crowds," Loki said, cutting off whatever Bruce was going to say. Loki lifted his head and looked Bruce in the eyes. "I was born and raised in a rural area, so crowds aren't my thing."

Bruce stared right back at Loki, taking in the information and letting it sink in before he smiled and held out his hand. "Let's go."

Loki's brows furrowed and pointed his thumb toward where Tony walked off to. "But, what about Tony?"

Bruce shook his head. "I was the one to suggest this, so I should be the one to show you around. Now, come on," he said, wiggling his fingers.

Loki hesitantly took Bruce's hand in his and they were off.

* * *

Loki and Bruce went to every shop, only buying a few things from a couple stores and once they were done, Bruce led Loki to bookstore.

"What are we doing here?" Loki asked once they were inside. He looked around, taking in the amount of books there were in this small store.

"Tony likes to come here whenever he's upset," Bruce explained simply. "He likes to hide in here, but I always know where he's at."

Loki hmm-ed distractedly as he looked at the books on the bookshelves and let Bruce lead him to where Tony was. When Bruce stopped walking, Loki looked forward and saw the shorter male looking around the corner of a bookshelf. There really wasn't much space between the bookcase and the wall, but it definitely looked like Tony could fit through it.

"I can see you, Tony," Bruce whispered.

"Leave me alone..." Loki heard the mumbled reply from Tony.

"Stop brooding, Anthony. You had no right to get angry at Loki. It obviously wasn't his fault," Bruce said.

It was silent for a few minutes before Loki heard Tony say, "I know..."

Bruce suddenly backed away from the bookcase causing Loki to do the same.

Tony slipped out from between the bookcase and the wall and looked Loki in the eye. "I'm sorry."

The taller male blinked, surprised. He shook his head. "No, I am. I-"

"You shouldn't have to be. I let my temper get the best of me," Tony said, sighing loudly. "What a wonderful impression I've made of myself."

"You got frustrated. I don't blame you," Loki reminded the shorter male.

"Okay! Enough of this. I'm done feeling depressed," Bruce said, looking at the other two males. "Let's go eat dinner," he said, making his way for the door.

As Bruce walked away, Loki walked up to Tony and held out his hand. Tony looked up at him, confused as to why the taller male was holding out his hand.

"Just in case," Loki said with a smile.

Tony laughed softly before taking Loki's pale hand in his own tanned one and they both followed their companion.

* * *

"So, why did you move here?" Bruce asked as he sipped his soda.

Loki froze. He was just about to take a bite out of his cheeseburger before Bruce asked that question. He sighed as he set the burger down. "Why do you want to know?" he asked. He was stalling, he had to think of something quick.

Bruce shrugged. "Just curious.."

Loki nodded. "Um.. Well.. my parents... got tired of living in the country so they decided to move here..." _Perfect... Go ahead and lie to your only friends.. Way to go._

Bruce nodded. "Hmm.."

Loki glanced at his two newfound friends before picking up his cheeseburger and continued to eat it.

"Well, today was fun, wasn't it?" Bruce asked enthusiastically.

"Not really.." Tony mumbled.

"Well, I had fun. I bought some new stuff," Loki said, smiling. "Thanks, Bruce."

"No problem," Bruce said. "Well, we better get going. It's getting late."

Loki looked at his watch, and gasped. "Oh, God. I have to go right now," he said and ran out the restaurant without even saying goodbye.

"Wow... He's a keeper, Tony," Bruce commented slyly.

"Shut up!" Tony hissed.

* * *

Loki had caught the bus on time with only a minute to spare. He got home 45 minutes later. He was tired and just wanted to go to sleep even though it was 9 o'clock. Once he got inside his apartment, he locked the door, and stripped himself of all of his clothes, leaving them on the floor and hopped right into bed, falling asleep immediately.

The next morning, Loki woke to his phone buzzing loudly on his nightstand. He groggily picked it up and saw it was a text from Tony.

_Morning. :)_

Loki smiled and his heart started pounding in his chest. He frowned. _Huh. I've never felt like this before..._

* * *

A/N 2: :o And it all starts now... Don't worry, I won't go too fast with this story. As you can tell, Loki is confused with how he is feeling. Yes, we all know he is gay, he is attracted to men, but the type of feelings he is starting to develop for Tony are very overwhelming. (I feel stupid for explaining this. xD) Anyway, I hope you guys liked this chapter and review!

Let me know if there are any errors! I always end up missing them.


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